locks in airport/ gst refund?

Hello, a few more Canada tourist newbie questions:

1) I know that we need to have USA-approved locked in US, because they might open and check our baggages. Does this apply in Canada as well?

2) For items purchased in Canada, can we claim GST refund, as in other countries?

Thanks

Yes, we have our own version of TSC that checks baggage.

No, you can no longer claim back your GST. That program ended a few years ago.

CATSA checks all baggage. No special locks are needed. You can lock your bag. If they need to get into it, they will ask you or page you before they put it on the plane.

GST refund has gone the way of the dodo bird. When they lowered the rate of the GST the refunds became more expensive to process than the money that was being returned. The GST is now just 5% down from 7%. (Though fiscally the decrease was one of the stupidest things that our government ever did, since that extra 2% would have seen us through the recession without a penny of deficit.)